Yep, but it was my fault. Do to the fact that February was fairly warm in my area, I removed all of my winter covering (about 2' of Oak foliage). During March my roses were actively growing. Then near the end of the month, we had 3 mornings of low 20's. ALL of the new growth froze and all of the bud eyes and basil breaks froze. The next thing I know 34 roses turned black. If I had left all the foliage in place, I could have saved the better part of them.

Sorry Rose. I didn't lose any here in Kansas 6a but they did die back a bit more than the previous year. One all the way to the ground.

Similar experience this past winter here in 'The 'Burgh'. I believe itit is attributable to two weather events, two weeks apart, that occurred here in mid-winter. In one 24 hr. period the temps. dropped about 50 degrees to -5°F, with winds of 50 mph. each event. Weather like this will be extremely destructivedestructive to even the most winter hardy roses.

Moses

I didn’t lose any roses, but my hydrangeas were mostly dead to the ground, which is common enough, but also a couple of weigelas which has never happened before. Some of my perennials seem smaller this year too. I think the very dry summer we had in the NE maybe weakened plants, and then a couple of surprise cold blasts over the winter did some damage.

We had -20F here in Colorado zone 5. I was surprised, but I didn't lose a single one. Even the weakest, Souvenir De St. Anne's, which is a spindly 6" twig each year, pulled through. Most did die back to the ground so everything growing came from under ground. Love Song was one I considered might go but it has come back very strong. Iceberg is one I thought would do well. We planted it in the first round of roses so it is older but it is one of the puniest coming back.

Flowers, I'm really sorry to hear that your roses got hit so hard. Trying new roses does sound like a great silver lining, but I hope your surviving roses recover well and look great again soon.

As for the original question, no I didn't lose any roses to our very cold winter, but they did lose a lot of cane. The weather challenge the plants seem to be having the hardest time with right now is that we have had a ton of severe thunderstorms lately, which around these parts means hail, and lots of it. Several more rounds of thunderstorms still in store later this week... Everything keeps getting beaten back each time it tries to regrow. Sigh.

Flowers! It's you! I'm so glad to see your post after such a long time. How are you doing? I think the weather is harder on us oldies than the roses, though it sounds like your roses did have problems with the winter. I am very sorry about that. The weather hasn't been nice to the Northwest this year. Here, it wasn't the cold so much as that it never warmed up--winter went on and on. I didn't lose any roses to cold, but I lost 3 roses and nearly all of a fourth to voles, which had built themselves a little city in a flower bed. I've never had that happen before. I replaced the missing with a new Double Easy Orange and a second Rouge Royale. Anyway, I'm so happy you're back and posting, though it wasn't overly happy news. Yes, Campanula rotundifolia is indestructible. It would be easiest for us to just grow it, Jupiter's Beard, and brunnera. Nothing can kill those three. Diane

I lost my knockouts, also Zone 7a southeastern MA. They were 10 years old. Nursery where I purchased them said because of 50 degree temps in January and that freezing week end in February that a lot of roses died

Here in Eastern MA, I had all the roses die to the ground. I wasn't sure for awhile whether they would come back, but they all came back from the base and are looking very good right now. I pruned them hard to the ground as soon as I saw some initial growth and they threw up more canes from the base. Julia Child is about 2-3ft tall right now and has buds on it. Beverly, which was so vigorous the past two years, has come back but, not like gangbusters. some of the top leaves look a little limp some days. The shine on the leaves is just not there. But I see that they finally pushed out a few buds. I have Savannah and that came back but is barely a foot tall so far and no buds on it yet, but it did push out a very good framework of canes that will make a nicely shaped bush if it continues to grow well. Prairie Sunrise really needed to be cut back to the ground any way, and it has pushed out about 5 new canes and has buds that are almost ready to open.

I have climbers in the back, but I had planned on cutting them to the base because the fence they were climbing on is being replaced this summer, so I didn't have the chance to notice if they had a lot of die back. So I am happy, but, definitely a much smaller display of flowers expected this year. I just hope we don't have a repeat of this next year, so they can regain the height and generous amount of blooms they've given us the last couple of years.

Terrible winter. I think it was the early warmth and then the polar vortex. So many dead branches and I lost 4 new Beverly bought from Heirloom planted in October 2022. Pretty in Pink climber cut to the ground after die back. Every survivor has put on vigorous growth however.

My Laguna didn’t have much die back but Compassion cut back to the ground. Shockingly, all the David Austins did really well.

Eastern Ma - no, didn't lose any roses but a lot of dead canes. Lost maybe half the canes on Knockout roses. However, after pruning out all the dead stuff, the knockouts and my English roses looked pretty good after bouncing back.

Heard a recent lecture about Dr. Huey root stock, that after a severe winter, the top of the grafted rose dies and the root stock starts growing producing single open red roses.

Well, My roses all came back from the base and looked nice and healthy and were off to a good start. Then the rabbits ate them. I mean really ate them. Took all the leaves off every cane that they could reach. *sigh* They have grown back some new growth on the top but the lower canes remain bare and I have not had a 2nd bloom cycle this year. It didn't help that we had the least amount of sun, that I can ever remember having this summer.

So - I'm just hoping that they will come back next spring without more set back. I'd hate to have to replace any of them. Between now and next srping I'm going to figure out a way to protect them from rabbits. I'm very surprised actually and not sure why this year, they decided to eat the roses. I have roses and rabbits every year and this is the first time they've touched them.

It's not like I don't have other delectables for them to eat. They ate so much of my epimediums that I don't think they are coming back. They regrew foliage once but then they stripped them again and the ground is bare where many of them were. Hostas...another of their favorites, along with Lilies and Dianthus and lots of veggies. And I'm probably forgetting other things. I stopped paying attention when I gave up trying to keep them away from the garden.

I'm glad to see this thread pop up again. Diane and Magpie, I replied to your posts above, but it disappeared, then I couldn't find this thread again. My brain must have died along with the roses. It means so much when friends understand how it feels to lose part of a garden. Diane, I was shocked that you lost 3 roses, and to voles, the little devils! Your replacements will be beautiful additions to your established roses. And, I will be forever grateful for the perennials you encouraged me to try, because they are carrying the garden this season. Magpie, I trust your garden survived the thunderstorms and accompanying hail. Always something, right? Cold climate gardening is definitely a challenge.

To the rest of you, I'm commiserating with you for your lost roses. It was a hard winter for lots of us. Good lesson for me not to push the zone like I'm inclined to do.